Cody Bellinger deal is terrible news for Red Sox pursuit of Jordan Montgomery

If the Boston Red Sox were hoping that waiting would get them the clearance deal on Scott Boras clients they so desperately wanted, they may want to head back to bed and keep dreaming. Fans who happened to be up grabbing a midnight snack around 2 a.m. ET on Sunday morning saw the news that Jeff Passan Tweeted: The Cubs and Cody Bellinger agreed to a deal.

Like Montgomery and the Red Sox, it felt like a had-to-be kind of move, one that was telegraphed a mile away. Except, the Red Sox seem more determined to keep spending low, and only sign Monty if it comes with a deal, like perhaps a one-year contract or a massive discount.

Instead, they saw Boras take the Cubs for a ride. He got his client paid and won some leverage for him in the process.

Scott Boras proves even when he loses, he still wins

Boras got "lol'd" as the news of this contract came out. He and Bellinger were reportedly looking for a quarter of a billion dollars in total value on this contract and walked away with far, far less at $80 million over three years.

But Boras proved to be the biggest winner even when he loses with this deal, because Bellinger's deal comes with an opt-out after 2024 and 2025. He makes $30 million per year in the first two seasons and $20 million if he plays the entire contract out.

That means Bellinger can control his destiny. If he performs well again next year, he can re-enter free agency and command an even larger total deal. If he busts? He can hold the Cubs' pocket-book hostage for $50 million more over the following two seasons.

It makes one thing abundantly clear: Boras is determined to get his clients a winning deal either in pure dollars or leverage. With the Cubs they gave up plenty of money, but walked away with more leverage than they'll even know what to do with.

There's a world in which the Cubs get absolutely rocked by the Bellinger deal. They could be stuck with a slumping Bellinger that is owed $30 million per year. Not only that but in such a scenario, Bellinger would be blocking the up-and-coming prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong from seeing the majors unless Chicago asks Bellinger to DH or play first base full-time.

So what will Boras ask for for Montgomery? Surely, player options are likely the best-case scenario for Boston, but the price point is clearly the main prohibiting factor.

One thing is clear: Boras is gonna juice the fruit.